Frontman Rai Thistlethwayte, bassist Phil Stack, drummer Karl Robertson, and guitarist Matthew Baker formed the Australian rock band Thirsty Merc in Sydney in 2002. Influenced by genres like jazz, pop, R&B, and classical, the band unveiled its broadly diverse sound with a debut EP, First Work, in 2003, followed by a full-length self-titled album one year later. The eponymous Thirsty Merc proved to be a platinum-certified success, peaking at Number 15 in Australia and Number 29 in New Zealand. Three of the album's songs became Top 40 hits, as well, with the ARIA-nominated "Someday, Someday" peaking at Number 19 in Australia and "In the Summertime" climbing to Number 12 in New Zealand. Three years later, the band returned with a new guitar player, Sean Carey, and a new album, Slideshows. Both the album and its most successful single, "20 Good Reasons," peaked at Number 4 in Australia and later earned gold certifications. Thirsty Merc's lineup had shifted one again by the time the band released a third album, Mousetrap Heart, in 2010, with Matthew Smith — a member of the reggae band The Strides — replacing Sean Carey as the band's guitarist. The album hit Number 14 in Australia, with Shifting Gears stalling at Number 68 five years later.
